Sarah J. Hawk | Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Sarah Hawk’s strategic mind and extensive understanding of current and emerging immigration legislation and trends have earned her national and international recognition. Sarah provides crucial immigration counsel to domestic and multinational companies in various industries such as healthcare, financial services, hospitality, higher education, and technology, among others.

Sarah brings nearly 20 years of experience helping companies develop and implement immigration policies to secure visas and permanent residence status for executives, managers, and critical employees. She also assists physicians, professors, and scientists at universities and research institutions, along with artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and investors.

Her comprehensive knowledge includes advising on a broad range of immigration petitions, nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications, consular processing, waiver cases and outbound placement, helping clients manage their global workforce. Sarah provides guidance for even the most complex I-9 and E-verify compliance,  audits, investigations, training, and policies for various entities.

Sarah oversees the preparation of employment-based immigration petitions (B, H, L, O, P, TN, E-2), PERM labor certification applications, EB-1 Extraordinary Ability, EB-1 Outstanding Researcher/Professor, EB-2 National Interest Waiver, and immigrant petitions in virtually all preference categories, adjustment of status and consular processing cases and naturalization cases.

With a knack for building and enhancing client relationships, Sarah once served as business immigration legal counsel delegate on a trip to China, providing counsel to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Sarah is a frequent speaker nationally and regionally on business immigration issues.

Mandira Sethi | Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Mandira Sethi has over a decade of immigration experience working on an extensive range of immigrant visa and nonimmigrant petitions. As an immigrant from India, Mandira knows firsthand the challenges, of not only immigrating to a new country, but also working through the process of living, working, and becoming a citizen.

These experiences have given her a deep rooted passion for assisting other individuals, as well as businesses and organizations with successfully navigating the immigration process. And now, as an attorney, Mandira focuses her practice on continuing her work on an extensive range of such visa petitions.

Mandira assists and advises clients with employment-based immigration petitions (B, H, L, O, TN, E-2, E 3, J-1), PERM labor certification applications, EB-1 Extraordinary Ability, and EB-1 Outstanding Researcher/Professor status. She also has a vast knowledge with immigrant visa petitions in virtually all preference categories, and works on adjustment of status, consular processing cases and naturalization cases, as well as deferred action, I-601 waivers, 245(i) eligibility, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and U visas.

Mandira also provides guidance on and assistance to clients with regards to I-9 compliance, audits and investigations, and she stays abreast of everchanging immigration policies facing her clients to help them remain in compliance.

She has managed an average of 100 active employment and family-based immigration cases at a time, which enables her to be comfortable serving as the primary point of contact and managing immigration preparation, documentation, and filings.

In addition, Mandira is a registered neutral with the  Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.

I. The new Form I-9 issued August 1, 2023, required for use by November 1, 2023 | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

II. Practical Issues for I-9 Compliance | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

• Form length reduction from 2 pages to 1 page
• Revised Instructions and Update to the List of Acceptable Documents
• A major overhaul of the M-274 Handbook for Employers

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

III. Conditions for Employers to Conduct Remote Verifications | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

• The pros and cons of remote examination
• E-Verify compliance and additional anti-fraud training requirement